Where does “mayfish” come from?
mayfish (English) comes from English May, from French mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Māius, from Latin Maia, from Ancient Greek μαῖα, from Ancient Greek μήτηρ, from Proto-Hellenic mā́tēr — mother.
mayfish (English): A common American minnow
Definitions
- A common American minnow
Ancestry of “mayfish”, step by step
mayfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English May
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | May | The fifth month of the Gregorian calendar, following April and preceding June |
| 2 | French | mai | May |
| 3 | Old French | mai | — |
| 4 | Latin | Māius | “month”}} of May |
| 5 | Latin | Maia | nominative feminine singular of Maius; nominative... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μαῖα | midwife; foster mother, nurse; good mother, dame |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μήτηρ | mother; source or origin |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | mā́tēr | mother |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |